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employer, a certain Lu Ting Hoi Simon, of Macau, China to hire office
workers who are computer literate to work at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Beatriz confirmed this information and added that she was even given a
leave of absence by her employer just to come home in order to hire
workers. It was Owen who explained to her about the job and the
requirements like: passport, bio-data, Diploma in lieu of Transcript of
Records, and Forty Thousand Pesos (P40,000.00) for roundtrip tickets and
documentation fees as Beatriz could not speak Visayan.
On November 6, 2002, Arcele paid Fifteen Thousand Pesos (P15,000.00) to
accused Owen and subsequently, another P5,000.00 after she mortgaged
her house in order to raise the required amount. She was issued a receipt
for the P20,000.00 and was told that the balance of P20,0000.00 was
needed for the documentation fee. She was likewise told that her departure
for Manila would be on November 22, 2002 and on November 23, 2002 for
Macau, China. Nonetheless, as she was not able to pay the P20,000.00
before the scheduled date, her departure was postponed. Hence, on
November 23, 2002, she paid in full the balance of P20,000.00 without
receipt as she trusted accused spouses. The departure was rescheduled on
November 29, 2002 for Manila at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and on
November 30, 2002 for Macau, China. They further agreed that Accused
Spouses would fetch her at her house at 12 o'clock noon on November 29,
2002. Unfortunately, on the said date and time, accused spouses failed to
appear. Hence, she decided to proceed to Cagayan de Oro City airport and
look for accused spouses but the latter were not around. Instead, she met
the other recruits at the airport and they all realized that they were victims
of illegal recruitment. She and the other private complainants went home
aggrieved and humiliated.
Private complainant Reynalyn likewise recounted that accused Owen was the
first cousin of her husband and accused spouses were introduced to her by
her parents-in-law on October 4, 2002 as the latter stayed at the house of
her parents-in-law located adjacent to her house. Accused Owen offered to
help her find work in Macau, China as accused Beatriz was allegedly asked
by her employer to find Filipino workers who could replace the Taiwanese
and Protuguese workers in Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Macau, China. As
Reynalyn was not a college graduate, she was told that she could be
assigned at the laundry section with a salary rate equivalent to Eighteen
Thousand Pesos (P18,000.00) per month. She was told to secure her
passport, to fill-up the bio-data with Chinese character and to pay
P40,000.00 for plane tickets and other documents. She paid accused
spouses the said amount and a receipt was issued to her. However, on the
scheduled date of departure to Manila on November 29, 2002, she waited
for accused spouses at the airport but to her disappointment, the latter
failed to show up.
Another prosecution witness, private complainant Laarni, also testified that it
was private complainant Roselle who informed her that accused spouses
were recruiting workers for Macau, China. On October 21, 2002, she met
elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/62691
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